A woman became the first person in Northern Ireland to be prosecuted for docking dogs’ tails on Friday.

Edith Burton, 36, was sentenced today at Coleraine Magistrate’s Court and ordered to do 160 hours community service as well as pay £216 costs.

Burton, whose address was given as formerly from Loughanhill Park, Coleraine, Co Derry, was also disqualified from the owning, keeping or participating in the keeping of certain dog breeds.

She was in court after Coleraine Borough Council took action and she pleaded guilty at Coleraine Magistrate’s Court on March 6 to causing unnecessary suffering to boxer puppies in her care in August 2013 and to docking the tails of a previous litter of boxer-type puppies in June that year.

One source close to the case told Belfast Live it is unclear how the dogs’ tails were docked, but the usual technique is to either just cut it off or tie a very tight elastic band around the tail soon after birth and allow it to drop off after several days.

The source added: “Which ever way it was done, it’s barbaric and it’s good that this sort of thing is now ending up in the courts.”

Sentencing had been adjourned until today to allow for a pre-sentence report to be compiled. In sentencing the defendant, District Judge McNally stated that this was a serious matter and had she pleaded not guilty and been convicted she would have been facing a custodial sentence of a minimum of 2 months.

One of the puppies which had its tail docked

The charges were brought against Burton by Coleraine Borough Council under the Welfare of Animals Act (NI) 2011 following an investigation by Animal Welfare Officers.

Nicola McCall, head of the council’s Environmental Health department, said dogs could suffer from infections as well as serious pain when docked.

She added: “When they tie elastic bands around their tails it basically cuts off the blood until the tail dies and drops off. It’s not clear how these pups tails were removed, whether with elastic or with a knife, but it generally happens just a few days after birth.

“This prosecution relates to two litters of boxer puppies. I hope it shows we take this seriously and people will think again abou doing it. It’s just barbaric.”

A Coleraine Borough Council spokesperson said Animal Welfare Service teams in Councils across Northern Ireland “take the welfare of domestic pets and equines very seriously and will, where necessary, rigorously enforce the law against animal cruelty”.

They added: “Coleraine Borough Council is pleased to have brought Northern Ireland’s first successful prosecution for tail docking under the new animal welfare legislation. This is an outdated and now illegal practice which causes unnecessary suffering upon the animal, in this case boxer-type pups only a few days old.

“Today’s sentence demonstrates that Councils will take action through the courts and we trust that it sends out the clear message that any form of animal cruelty will not be tolerated.

“If anyone has any concerns about any domestic animal’s welfare, including incidences of tail docking, they should contact their local Council’s animal welfare service.”